Feds probe brain operations at CA hospital

A federal report questions whether two surgeons at a Northern California hospital contributed to the death of at least one of three patients who underwent what was called an untested surgical procedure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report also criticized the University of California, Davis hospital for failing to monitor the surgeons. The federal agency has the authority to block the hospital from receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. The hospital received $275 million from the Medicare program in the past fiscal year, representing about 20 percent of its total revenue. The center launched an investigation after the surgeons introduced bacteria into open head wounds of three patients who died in 2010 and 2011, the report states.